Divine Dining for Valentines

Celebrate love and friendship this Valentine’s Day by dining out with that special someone or gathering with friends at one of these local favorite spots perfect for enjoying a memorable evening.

Coast Beach Cafe & Bar

Coast is a delightful, casual beachfront eatery that serves decidedly yummy California-inspired American cuisine. Situated on the lower level of Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, every meal comes with a lovely view of the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant and hotel channel a classy, Martha’s Vineyard-style prepster vibe, with dark wooden tables and floors, wicker chairs, white walls and paneling, soaring ceilings, blue and white striped booths and banquettes and subtle lighting. The attentive servers also reflect New England style, courtesy of their crisp checked Vineyard Vines shirts.

Dine at an indoor table along the wall of windows looking out at the water, a comfy booth, at the bar or outdoors on the covered patio. Whatever your dining preference, gifted Executive Chef Vittorio Lucariello—who also helms the hotel’s fine dining spot, One Pico—and his team’s tasty dishes are sure to make guests smile.

Standout starters include avocado toast on grilled country bread, compressed watermelon (served with grapefruit, cucumber, avocado and feta cheese), a trio of fish tacos, and cheddar mac & cheese with optional crab or lobster. The raw bar offerings include oysters, a Maine lobster cocktail and a shellfish platter featuring a mouthwatering selection of clams, oysters, shrimp, Dungeness crab and lobster.

Noteworthy entrees include seared ahi tuna with couscous and avocado, a Maine lobster roll served on a potato bun with lemon aioli and hushpuppies, and Mary’s chicken with king mushrooms and fingerling potatoes.

Mastro’s Ocean Club

Mastro’s Ocean Club is a swanky spot offering panoramic ocean views from both the indoor dining room with walls of windows and the outdoor patio. Revered for its steaks and seafood, this top-notch restaurant serves delicious sushi, appealing appetizers and sides galore.

Talented Executive Chef Brenda Mora and her team’s dishes taste as good as they look. The expansive menu and plentiful portions include oysters on the half-shell, shrimp cocktail, Ocean Club crab cakes, chilled Alaskan King crab legs, the Maguro (bluefin tuna) lime roll, the tuna jalapeno sashimi, and the creamy lobster bisque.

While guests can easily make a meal of small plates, the many stellar entrees, including steak, herb-roasted chicken and rack of lamb, should not be overlooked. Choose from the petit filet or filet mignon (8 oz./12 oz.), bone-in filet (12 oz./18 oz.), New York Strip (16 oz.), and bone-in ribeye.

MOC’s desserts are made for sharing. Try the signature sweet Warm Butter Cake with fresh whipped cream and berries, the flourless Chocolate Sin Cake or the Key Lime Pie.

Dinner served nightly and brunch on weekends.

Mastro’s Ocean Club

18412 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu

310.343.4357

Jean-Georges Beverly Hills

The extraordinarily chic signature restaurant located in the glamorous Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Jean-Georges Beverly Hills is named after their legendary Michelin star-rated French chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Featuring his much-loved French-American cuisine with a California accent of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, JGBH is part of Chef Jean-Georges’ impressive culinary empire of worldwide restaurants. Fans of this famous chef will recognize signature dishes also served in his New York City restaurants.

JGBH’s sky-high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows fill the restaurant with natural light that enhances the opulent interior decorated in a gentle palette of neutrals, with soft leather chairs, booths and banquettes, plenty of greenery and terrazzo tile floors.

Pizzana

Brentwood’s Pizzana is a slice of pizza heaven. Owned by Sprinkles Cupcakes Founders Candace and Charles Nelson and actor Chris O’Donnell and wife, Caroline, Pizzana serves up wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza. The talented Naples-born pizzaiolo Chef Daniel Uditi has created a dedicated following who can’t get enough of his crispy, perfectly scrumptious pies. Chef Daniel handmakes the dough—which is then fermented and proofed for two days—and uses organic, stoneground Italian flour and San Marzano tomatoes from Naples to distinguish his pies.

The mod, sleek interior is dressed in white and Mediterranean blue, with an open kitchen, light wooden floors, white walls, blue chairs and banquettes, and a blue and white geometric print mural.

Popular appetizers include the polpette al forno (yummy wood-fired meatballs and bread) and the Caesar salad with fried capers, Parmigiano, garlic croutons and Calabrian Caesar vinaigrette.

The Margherita and Chef Daniel’s signature Neo-Margherita top the list of favorite pies, along with the Amatriciana with housemade sauce, crispy prosciutto crudo, red onion, shaved Parmigiano and fior di latte (semi-soft fresh cheese); the Ortolano with San Marzano dop, grilled zucchini, eggplant, red pepper pesto and basil; and the Corbarina with zucchini blossoms, cherry tomatoes, burrata and gremolata. Gluten-free crust is also available.